Lessons In Flirting
by The Glittery Ninja Espada
Summary: Fact 1: Tōshirō Hitsugaya sucks at flirting. Fact 2: He's got the self-proclaimed "Queen of Flirting" as his lieutenant. Fact 3: If he wants to win Momo Hinamori's heart and still keep his reputation, he's going to need a lot of lessons in flirting. Threeshot.
1. He Sucks At Flirting

**Me: Never read the _Bleach_ manga.**

 **Me: Watched only 70 (perhaps less) percent of _Bleach_ anime dubbed.**

 **Me: Will get things wrong, probably (not too much, I hope).**

 **You: Please bear with me and forgive because you know I suck and am human.**

 **Me: Thanks!**

* * *

Tōshirō Hitsugaya.

That was his name.

Captain Hitsugaya.

That was his title. (Ichigo Kurosaki never understood that.)

Shirō-chan?

That was neither his name nor his title, yet as long as only one person called him that, he'd answer.

Momo Hinamori.

Not only was she the only one allowed to call him Shiro-chan (well, her and Ukitake, but he was too lazy to correct him) and leave without a scathing remark, but also his best and dearest childhood friend. A BFF, so to speak.

Perhaps in the depths of his perpetually icy soul (figuratively speaking), he'd even call her a _crush_.

Not that he'd ever use that _childish_ word.

More importantly, that he'd never say that in public. _Ever_.

"Thinking about Momo again, Captain?" Rangiku asked, a smirk growing on her face as she trounced into the room, a (surprisingly) unopened bottle of sake in her hand.

Tōshirō was instantly broken out of his reverie and moment of naptime-peace and turned to snap at her. "Rangiku, you're _late_."

His voluptuous lieutenant merely laughed and waved a finger at him accusingly. "Don't change the subject."

When he didn't answer and instead stonily turned towards his paperwork, she gasped scandalously, as if she had just heard a juicy piece of gossip.

"You _were_ , weren't you!"

"No, I was _not_ ," Tōshirō replied monotonously, his face never betraying a single emotion, although he could feel himself break into a cold sweat. He turned to hand his lieutenant the stack of paperwork he'd been holding. "But _you_ , on the other hand, need to think about getting these done."

"Oh, Captain, don't make me work _now_. I was just out having a little _fun_ ," Rangiku cooed, tilting her bottle of sake at him.

Tōshirō sat unamused. "Keep up that act and I'll start putting you up on sake probation again, Matsumoto."

Rangiku's popped open and her mouth dropped in horror. "No, no, anything but _that_!" Without another complaint, she yanked the stack of papers from him and began to furiously fill them out.

"Now that we're done changing the subject," she drawled, after a moment of peace, in which Tōshirō tried to return to his nap. He opened one suspicious eyeball at her, but she paid him no mind. "You _were_ thinking about Momo, right, Captain?"

Tōshirō gave a huff. " _No_."

Rangiku instantly turned from her work to grin at him, her eyes bright and excited. "You're lying! I saw it in your eyes! That dreamy, faraway look you get when you're thinking about her!" She paused and looked thoughtful, before turning towards him deviously. "Well, it also seemed like Ichigo seeped into your thoughts for a moment there, Captain, but I didn't know you liked him like _that_!" Rangiku smirked and elbowed him suggestively.

If Tōshirō thought blushing was an acceptable form of showing embarrassment, his face would have turned an angry red, but, since he did not believe it to be fitting of a captain, his face remained stoic as ever, even as his insides melted from humiliation.

Instead, he did what he did best in times like these: he changed the subject. Well, sort of.

"If I remember correctly, Rangiku, I was trying to take a nap and my _eyes were closed_ when you barged through the door."

Rangiku shook her head and waved her hand nonchalantly at his rebuttal. "Well, call it a woman's intuition then." She gestured towards her curvaceous chest casually. "I _do_ have the perfect example of a womanly figure, don't I, Captain?"

Tōshirō felt the veins pop out of his head. Did she always have to make some kind blasé remark about her breasts? It was quite unbecoming of a lieutenant, especially one with a captain as dignified as him. And as short as him, too, but that was another matter all in itself.

With a loud scrape, he pushed his chair back from his desk and gave Rangiku a stern look.

"I'm going out—"

"To see Momo?" she interrupted, looking at him with a suggestive gleam in her eye.

"—And I won't be gone long, but by then, you should have that paperwork finished," Tōshirō finished, expertly ignoring Rangiku. Besides, even _he_ didn't know where he was going. All he knew he had to do was get out of that stuffy room and avoid all of Rangiku's prying questions.

Nevertheless, leaving Rangiku in the room alone with alcohol was _always_ a bad idea. He outstretched his palm and gave her a look. "Sake."

"Oh, but, Captain—" Rangiku whined as she handed him her lone bottle of sake. She gave him a sneaky smile. "You know I have more in the cabinet, right?"

Brusquely, Tōshirō replied, "And I counted 7 bottles this morning. If even _one_ is missing when I'm gone, you're on a strict three-week probation."

She turned towards him with terror in her eyes as she quickly sorted through the paperwork. "But, Captain!" she groaned. "You _know_ sake makes me work better!"

"No, sake makes you _goof off_ better," he said sternly, as he began to stalk out of the quarters.

"Oh, and Captain? If you need flirting lessons? You know, for Momo? Feel free to come and ask _meeee_! You can always inquire of my _womanly intuition_! The 'Queen of Flirting' is always at your service!"

* * *

"Hirako," Tōshirō greeted with a firm nod towards the 5th Division Captain. "Have you seen your lieutenant anywhere by chance?"

"Maybe," Shinji smirked. "But not by chance."

Tōshirō didn't know what to make of that comment but was sure it was meant to be goading. Instead, he ignored it. Shinji _was_ Momo's _captain_ after all. Suspecting anything going on between them was like suspecting something was going on between Rangiku and him. He shivered in disgust at the very idea.

Shinji raised an eyebrow. "Cold, Hitsugaya?"

"That's _Captain_ Hitsugaya, Hirako," Tōshirō snapped. "Anyways, where is she? Where is Momo?"

Shinji mumbled something under his breath, and Tōshirō had to use all his might not to make a snarky remark. "Last time I checked, she was refining her kidō."

This time, it was Tōshirō's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Isn't her kidō already mastered?"

The 5th Division Captain shrugged. "Beats me." With another involuntary shrug, he stalked away. "But you'd better hurry up, Hitsugaya, before she snags another date."

Tōshirō's " _And just what's that supposed to mean_!" screams were ignored as Shinji walked away, laughing.

* * *

Shinji hadn't been lying.

When Tōshirō _finally_ found Momo (just by _saying_ she was practicing her kidō wasn't very helpful), he became immersed in her movements and how easily the spells and incantations flew from her lips.

"Hadō number 88—Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!" The power flew from her fingertips easily.

Tōshirō was impressed. That was quite a high-level form of kidō, and he'd only seen a handful of shinigami use it before. For the record, if anyone could master such kidō, it would definitely be Momo.

 _"I saw it in your eyes! That dreamy, faraway look you get when you're thinking about her!"_

 _Damn you, Rangiku_.

 _"But you'd better hurry up, Hitsugaya, before she snags another date."_

 _You too, Hirako_.

Was he really that obvious?

He thought he'd been discreet—he _had_ a reputation to maintain after all.

If Rangiku saw it using her _womanly intuition_ , and Shinji saw it using his—his—whatever, who else would have noticed?

Renji?

Rukia?

Kuchiki?

Ukitake?

Hisagi?

Hell, maybe Yoruichi and Urahara?

 _Ichigo_?

Damn, damn, _damn_! He was screwed.

"Oh, hi, Shirō-chan," Momo greeted with a smile, her fingers poised to perform another round of kidō.

"Hinamori," he nodded curtly, even though his insides were burning with childish excitement at the sound of her voice.

 _Childish_.

He _hated_ that word.

Momo gave him a look. " _Momo_ ," she corrected. "You don't have to be so formal with me, Shirō-chan."

"And _you_ don't have to be so casual with me," Tōshirō snapped, his mind still focused on the word _childish_.

Damn, that wasn't what he meant at _all_! Stupid words, just slipped out of his mouth without the consent of his head! He wished he could take them back. Momo was right, if there was one person he _didn't_ have to be formal around, it was her. Hadn't he recently just thought that Momo was the only one who was allowed to call him that?

When he saw the slightly taken aback in her eyes, his wish to take back his words rang even truer.

She gave a slight bow of apology and nodded. "Apologies, Captain Hitsugaya." She stared at him strangely before turning the opposite direction. "Well, I'd better go now—Captain Hirako will be wondering where I am."

 _No, you fool! He knows where you are! He won't be worried—or wondering for that matter!_

"Momo—wait—I'm sorry—" The words tasted bitter in his mouth, but he knew he had to say them.

She gave another bow, deeper this time. "No worries, Shir—Captain Hitsugaya. You have your ways and I have mine. We'll see each other next time we go visit 'Granny'."

She was gone in a flash, leaving Tōshirō's outstretched arm grasping nothing.

Quickly putting his arm back in its place, he looked around if anyone saw the encounter. If they did, his reputation would suffer direly.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Tōshirō sunk to the ground, shaking his head and internally berating himself.

Nevertheless, one thing _did_ bother him about Momo's reaction. Momo _knew_ him. She knew what he was like. Would she have normally taken such offense at his words? His tone?

 _No_ , he decided. _Something_ must _be wrong_.

With that, Tōshirō bowed his head and sighed.

Looks like he'd have to go to Rangiku for those flirting lessons after all.


	2. He Sucks Even More At Flirting

**To the reviewer who asked about Ichigo—that was just Tōshirō remembering that Ichigo never addressed him properly as a captain, and Rangiku just making fun of him.**

 **Also note—Renji serves no purpose in this chapter other than that I love him and wanted to include him.**

 **Also also note—Tōshirō might be a bit OOC, and I apologize for that in advance.**

* * *

"Rule Number 1! Always give a girl your full attention!" Rangiku shouted, comically pointing a wooden ruler at a blackboard. "Rule Number 2! Always give a girl exactly what she wants! Rule Number 3! Never turn your back on an angry girl! Rule Number 4—do you understand?"

"What _I_ don't understand is why _I_ have to be here," Renji complained from beside Tōshirō.

Rangiku turned to him with a glare. "Don't question me, Abarai! I've seen your relationship with Rukia has been quite lackluster lately, and I intend to fix it! With—" She turned around to display a brightly lit, neon sign and struck a pose. "'Matsumoto's Flirting Lessons'!"

Tōshirō rubbed his head, a sure sign of a headache coming on. He pushed away the note sheet his vibrant lieutenant had given him and glared. "Rangiku—I think you're going a little overboard with these so-called 'flirting lessons'. I suggest you stop now—"

"Nonsense, Captain! You asked me for help to win over Momo, and I intend to see it through 'till the very end!"

"Hey, what about me? I didn't ask for help!" Renji countered, his face contorting into an angry pout.

Rangiku nodded. "Of course, Renji. That's because _you_ probably didn't notice that you and Rukia's relationship is _dying_ to be taken to the next level!" She sighed. "Men are so dense, sometimes."

Renji stared at her, appalled. " _Next level_? What's that supposed to mean? I like our relationship where it is right now—we're best friends!"

"Shh," she hushed, putting a finger to a surprised Renji's lips. "Calm down, Renji. Don't tell me you _don't_ want to ask Rukia out?"

The crimson-haired lieutenant blushed slightly. "What the hell does _that_ have to do with anything?" His blush didn't fade, but he leaned back in his chair nonchalantly as he tried to change the subject. "And besides, if there's anyone who needs 'flirting advice', it's Ichigo. Have you _seen_ the way he looks at that Inoue girl?"

Rangiku's face lit up and she clapped her hands excitedly. "What a great idea! Let's invite Ichigo! He could definitely use my expertise!"

"Yes, why don't we just invite the rest of the men from Gotei 13, then, too?" asked Tōshirō dryly, sarcasm dripping from his words like butter.

Renji stared at him in horror, but Rangiku's excited face brightened even more. "Right away, Captain! Renji, you go call the boys!"

"Are you off your rocker, Matsumoto? If you think I'm going—"

"—I said _men_ , not boys. Although I suppose there isn't much of a difference."

Renji smirked. "That's because we have _you_ to play the little boy, right?" He gave Tōshirō a cursory glance. "In that case, I'll go get the 'big boys'." Smirking, he left the room.

 _Bastard_ , Tōshirō thought as he watched the tall man walk out—he was glad he had the self-control not to impale Renji and make him eat his spiky red pineapple hair in front of Rukia and the rest of Gotei 13. It wasn't _his_ fault for being short. If anything, it was everyone else's fault for being so tall!

Wait a second . . .

 _Idiot_! He'd seen Renji's face. He'd been horrified at Rangiku's suggestion (or—well, _his_ —but he was being sarcastic) of inviting the rest of the _men_ —why was he suddenly so eager to get them? It didn't make any sense.

He was able to come up with one conclusion and one conclusion only: that genius dumbass was ditching—not going to get everyone else.

 _Ditching Rangiku's lessons_!

...Damn, why didn't he think of that?

* * *

"—And then we'll go to Rule Number 21,210—always dress your best when accompanying a lady! Wear your best shihakushō and always treat her with respect—for you, Captain—make sure your haori is clean—no blood stains! Rule Number 21,211! Even if a girl gets mad at you—remember, it's always _your_ fault! It's not _her_ fault she's high-maintenance! It's _your_ fault for being a lousy boyfriend. Oh—and Rule Number 21,212 is really important, too! Always compliment a girl's outfit. Whether it be wonderfully slutty or ' _Old-school-I'm-pretending-to-be-a-good-girl_ ' modest—compliment her! Number 21,213—"

"Rangiku? Are you actually going to help me or just run your mouth all day? Because if you are, I _do_ have some business to attend to."

Tōshirō was getting impatient, and he hadn't learned one thing that would help him make amends and win over Momo. Perhaps he should've known better than to go to Rangiku for help.

Rangiku smiled widely, as if she, too, was glad to be relieved of her post. She seemed to notice that she was getting _nowhere_ with her Captain (much less Renji), and boredness seemed to take over her.

"Sure thing, Captain!" She smirked. "But don't forget about the payment!" She held out her palm eagerly.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Tōshirō muttered under his breath, as he pulled off of the table next to him, 3 unopened bottles of sake and dropped them into the waiting hands of his lieutenant.

She grinned, already opening one of the bottles and taking a long sip. "Thanks, Captain! Now, do me a favor and try out those tips I just taught you!"

Under his breath, Tōshirō quietly grumped, "Those weren't tips, those were _rules_. And annoying ones at that."

* * *

". . . Captain Hitsugaya?" Momo asked tentatively, her voice laced with unease.

"What is it, Hinamori?" Tōshirō asked, his eyes dead set into hers. Keeping his eyes on her got kinda creepy after awhile—and even though he didn't really believe all Rangiku was truthful in all her 'pointers', it didn't hurt to try them, right? Perhaps they would work. She _was_ a woman, after all. An annoyingly busty woman who abhorred paperwork and adored anything sake and shopping—but a woman, nonetheless.

" _Rule Number 1! Always give a girl your full attention!" "Rule Number 456! Always look directly into her eyes so she knows you're listening to her!"_

" . . . Why are you staring at me?" she asked, her gaze shifting uncomfortably. "It's kind of awkward."

 _Abort mission_! _Abort mission_! Tōshirō's brain screamed furiously. His eyes widened and he quickly averted his gaze. If he hadn't been keeping his emotions in check, he would've blushed on the spot.

Hadn't he been doing what Rangiku said? Constant eye contact? Full attention?

Despite his embarrassment, he tried to make amends in a captainly fashion by squawking, "Er—it doesn't matter, Hinamori. Now. . . you were saying?"

He'd no idea how he managed to bump into Momo on his way out of his office after Rangiku's 'lessons', but somehow he had, and with a wee bit of confidence that came from Rangiku's 'lessons', he decided to strike a conversation, no matter how awkward.

" . . . I wasn't saying anything!" Momo yelped, her eyes flashing in confusion. "You just walked out from your office, sauntered over here, and began staring at me!"

Tōshirō's eyes widened. Okay—maybe he hadn't tried to strike a conversation like he thought he had. _Damn_ , well, _this_ was embarrassing.

How was he supposed to fix _this_?

"That's none of your concern, Hinamori," Tōshirō said, forcing himself not to blush.

Momo cocked her head at him and her eyes filled with pools of worry. "Are you okay, Shirō-chan? You're not acting like yourself."

 _Like she was one to talk_.

He gulped, swallowing his mortification, and put on a steely air. "Don't worry, _Hinamori_. I'm perfectly fine. You're dismissed."

Ignoring her response, he turned around, trying his best not to notice the hurt expression crawl on her face as he stalked away.

When he was sure he was out of her line of sight, he let out an enormous breath of air that he hadn't even _known_ he'd been holding.

Since when had he been so—so—oh, he didn't know. All he knew was the once upon a time, he'd been in _control_. In _control_ of his _emotions_. When did he become so flippant? For soul's sake, he was acting like a mere child!

"Come on, Hitsugaya," Tōshirō whispered to himself. "Get a hold of yourself." He felt utterly foolish. Pining after Momo? It was utterly pointless—but that revelation did nothing to make him feel any less for her.

 _If it is any help, Master_ , Hyōrinmaru suggested. _Perhaps you should try being yourself_.

Tōshirō blinked. Lately, the dragon had been incredibly subdued, and it was surprising that now was when he decided to speak up. _Don't think I haven't heard_ that _one before. Being myself is what she's used to, and she hadn't seemed interested._

 _Do you think Hinamori does not appreciate who you are? Then, she does not deserve you. A woman who cannot accept a man for what he truly is not a woman worthy of the man._

The frosty captain nodded. _I agree, but you know Momo isn't like that. I know she cares for me and accepts me for me, but perhaps she does not feel for me the way I feel for her._

Hyōrinmaru pondered that for a moment. _You are right, Master. I suppose all you can do as of now is wait and give her all the care and comfort you can._

 _Or I could try Rangiku's 'lessons' again_ , Tōshirō suggested.

 _I don't think that would be wise_ , the dragon warned, and the captain could imagine the grimace in his voice.

 _That may be so_ , Tōshirō admitted. _But at this point, I'm willing to try almost anything—whether the idea is borne of Rangiku's crazy mind or not._

 _Do whatever you feel is right_ , Hyōrinmaru advised, before blinking out of Tōshirō's conscience. _Although I would not recommend staring at Hinamori like that again._

Brooding, Tōshirō leaned against a nearby wall and closed his eyes. Rule Number 1 and Rule Number 456 were used and proved the be useless—but he still had 21,211 more to try out—not that he was going to try most of them. Perhaps he'd manage to win Momo over before that time, anyways.

 _Think, think, think_ , he chided himself. _What other rules did Rangiku tell you?_

Unable to think of any more at the moment, Tōshirō dejectedly stomped over to his office, thinking he might as well get some paperwork done since he had nothing better to do—wait, Rangiku was supposed to do the paperwork! Oh well, knowing her, there was still probably a mountain of work left to be done.

But, when he opened the door to his office, he was greeted with a much different sight—and no, he wasn't surprised to see the paperwork inundating his desk—that was expected.

"Hi—Hinamori?" he gasped. "What are you _doing_ here?" When he'd finally stopped sputtering and began to speak like a normal person, he asked incredulously, "Especially, in my office?"

Momo jumped a bit, before giving him an apologetic glance. "Sorry, Sh—Captain Hitsugaya. I know that we just talked—but after you walked away, Rangiku caught me and told me that you wanted to see me. I was a bit confused, since we just saw each other, but she told me to come anyways and wait in your office."

Tōshirō was at a loss for words. That sneaky bastard, Rangiku! Oh, when he saw her next time, she was definitely going to get a scolding—and possible another sake probation as punishment.

There was really no way out of this situation without offending her or making a complete fool of himself and Tōshirō had no intention of doing either. Instead, he just decided to play along with Rangiku's stupid little scheme.

"Well, Hinamori," he said, bluntly. "What do you want?"

His lieutenant's voice echoed annoyingly in his mind.

" _Rule Number 2! Always give a girl exactly what she wants!"_

Perhaps now this was his way to do so. He leaned forward, eagerly, hoping he would be able to fulfill whatever request Momo had—if it was in his power, obviously.

"Er—Captain Hitsugaya—Rangiku said that _you_ wanted something—that's why you called me here, right?"

. . . And _now_ that idea was ruined. If she didn't _want_ anything, then how was he supposed to fulfill her wishes?

"Right," he muttered. Crap. "Well, I changed my mind. You're free to go now, Hinamori."

As Momo shot him a look and turned to walk out the door, she muttered, "You've been doing that a lot lately, Shirō-chan."

Wonderful. Thanks to Rangiku, now he'd not only made a fool of himself, but also offended Momo as well. Some lieutenant _he_ had.

* * *

" _So_ , how'd it go?" Rangiku chirped, an hour later as she skipped into their shared office.

"You didn't do any of the paperwork like I'd asked you to, Matsumoto," Tōshirō voiced monotonously. "You're on sake probation for the rest of the week."

She sighed empathetically. "I take it things with Momo didn't go well?"

"What do _you_ think?" Tōshiō growled, his brush making angry strokes on the page. "Your stupid 'lessons' made me look like an imbecile!"

"Oh, Captain!" Rangiku soothed, grabbing him into a hug flush against her breasts, which he desperately tried to wrestle out of. "But you do that all by yourself! You didn't need _my_ help for that!"

Choked by her breasts, Tōshirō barely managed to squeak, "T—two—weeks."

Spontaneously dropping him back onto his seat, Rangiku stared at him in horror. " _Two_ weeks without sake? Captain—you _can't_ be serious!"

"I can and I am," he replied, giving her a glare before returning his attention to the paperwork on his desk.

Sighing, Rangiku sat on his desk and gave his head a comforting pat, and he squirmed away. "Don't get so hung up about Momo, Captain. You two are going to visit your grandmother's house in Rukongai tomorrow, aren't you? Just try to win her over there or something. My 'lessons' and 'rules' don't just apply in the Seireitei, you know."

Tōshirō felt his heart drop down to his feet. _Crap_ , he'd completely forgotten he and Momo were visiting 'Granny' tomorrow. He'd have to be around her almost all day and he had a feeling he'd probably make an even bigger fool out of himself there—with or without Rangiku's rules.

He sighed.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day.


	3. He Doesn't Flirt At All?

**Oh...kay, this was certainly a hard-ish chapter to write. I personally am not satisfied with it, as it's not nearly humorous as the past two, and I enjoy funny things. This chapter (a.k.a the _last_ one) focuses more on Tōshirō's thoughts than anything, and . . . yeah. Anyways, please enjoy, and if you did, don't forget to review and/or favorite!**

 **Also, like I said, I haven't read the _Bleach_ manga, so pardon me if I get a few (or a lot) of things wrong. I'm only human (a super-awesome one, but still a human, at that).**

* * *

"Shirō-chan?" Granny asked, her aged face contorting in worry. "Aren't you going to eat your watermelon?"

Tōshirō hardly even heard her, his movements rigid and his mind clouded—Momo sat just inches apart from him on the couch they shared when they'd arrived in Rukongai at their 'Granny's'. He didn't know what to think—they'd done this countless times before in the past, but this time, the mood was tense, at Momo seemed equally uneasy at sitting so close to him.

Nevertheless, he felt her jab him in the rib. Even though he glared icily at her, she stared just as fiercely before gesturing to their Granny with her head. Quietly, she hissed, "Didn't you hear Granny? She asked if you're going to eat your watermelon."

The 10th division captain squirmed before eagerly turning to Granny, nodding. "Yes, I'll eat that now." Grabbing a large, juicy slice of watermelon from the plate set before him, Tōshirō relished in the refreshing juiciness of the red fruit, juice dribbling down his chin.

He eagerly at on—watermelon wasn't something he indulged himself in often, but when he did, it was often in copious amounts, caring little for how he looked when he did so, for the only time he ate watermelon was in the safe recesses of his previous home in Ruknogai with Momo and Granny—where no one was apt to judge him, and he had little reputation to maintain.

Momo smiled and rolled her eyes, and as if all the tension that had built up in the Seireitei for the past two days had melted off of her, grabbed a napkin off the table. She quickly wiped the juice off of his chin, and Tōshirō was glad he had the strength not to blush. "Shirō-chan, you're getting watermelon juice everywhere."

He huffed, and glared at her once again, jutting his nose high in the air and setting down his fruit. "I'm not a baby, you know. You shouldn't treat the Captain of the 10th division as such."

Truth be told, he wouldn't mind it so horribly if Momo of all people babied him—and sometimes she did, but because he believed her to be closer to him than anyone else, he let it slide—up until recently—recently, when he found that his stupid-ass emotions decided to get the better of him and force his heart to flutter whenever she was around.

She was subdued by his words, and scooted a few inches away from him, reaching for a slice of watermelon. Tōshirō watched as she ate, just as he had done countless times, although he was discreet in his actions, observing only from the corner of his eyes. Unlike him, she ate the watermelon daintily, nibbling on the tip of the triangular slice, working her way down until she was at the very nub of the rind.

He then glanced at the gap Momo had formed between them; the few inches felt like miles. He wanted to go back to that easy friendship they had before—well, more or less, since Tōshirō never liked things to be easy. More than anything, he wanted Momo to be _his_.

 _No_ , his mind argued. _Your stupid crush is what started this whole mess between you and her._

Nevertheless, his heart beat only louder when he glanced at her again.

He was broken out of his reverie, this time, by the sound of his Granny's voice. "I'll be a moment, you two, let me go put some hot water on the stove for tea."

She smiled warmly before shuffling out of the room, effectively leaving Momo and him alone. The only sound besides the awkward silence filling the room was the light brush of wind that swayed the trees outside. Normally, the silence would have been filled with Momo's eager chatter, but she sat, somberly staring at the rind of her watermelon. Even though Tōshirō appreciated the silence more than anything, it was a stab in the heart coming from Momo and he sure as hell didn't like it.

He sighed, as a voice echoed through his head, annoying and true. _Use '_ Matsumoto's Flirting Lessons _'._

The idea was tempting and an easy segway for blame and helped him avoid the one thing he hated more in the world than persimmons: confession. Confession to Momo instead of doing what he rather preferred: looking like a fool in front of her (only because admitting his feelings was too great a price).

 _No_ , Tōshirō decided. He instead recalled a piece of advice that seemed more fitting to his nature, since his other half, Hyōrinmaru had bestowed it upon him.

 _Perhaps you should try being yourself_ , was what the dragon had said.

Taking a deep breath, he opened his mouth to 'woo' Momo in his own, eccentric Tōshirō-y way. He was so ready, he had this. Momo, be prepared to be knocked straight out of your waraji.

But as soon as a sound barely made it's way out of his mouth, he was interrupted.

"Shirō-chan?" Momo turned to him with a desperate look on her face, and her voice raised an octave. It seemed as if the tension from inside the Seireitei had bundled onto her again. "You _have_ to tell me—have I done something to offend you? I know being cold is generally in your nature, but you treat me as if you don't even _know_ me! And—and then you do _such_ odd things—like calling me into your office and staring at me for no reason." She paused and bowed her head. "So, if I've done something wrong, _please_ tell me! I want to apologize!"

Tōshirō nearly gasped. Was that really what she thought? He knew he was being extra cold and . . . weird around her—but that was because he was taking Rangiku's lessons since he had no idea how to act around her! How the hell did she get the wicked idea that he _was mad_ at her?

Placidly, he grabbed a watermelon from the table and stuffed it into Momo's mouth, effectively silencing her. He was not about to be interrupted _this_ time.

"Hinamori," he uttered, his eyes zeroing in on her—not because of Rangiku's lessons, this time. He knew what he was doing, but nevertheless, gave a great sigh, wondering how to word his thoughts. "I—I'm not upset with you."

"Then why have you been acting so strangely?" she wondered, turning to meet his icy gaze, as she yanked the melon out of her mouth.

Ah, so there it was. Taking a deep breath, Tōshirō closed his eyes, only reopening them to meet hers again. He dared not blink as he spoke, his words coming straight from his frozen heart. "Hinamori—Momo—there aren't many people I like in this world. Everyone is adamant on sheltering me because of my age and there is hardly a soul here who treat me like an equal. But not you, Momo."

Momo smiled warmly. "Of course, Shirō-chan. I know you better than anyone, and how you hate being treated lower because of your age and—erm, stature."

His eyes flared a little at the 'stature' bit, but as it was the case with Momo, Tōshirō let it slide. "I'd like to admit something." He didn't dare bow his head in a cowardly fashion—he _was_ a captain, after all. "As of late, whenever I'm around you, Hinamori, things happen. My back becomes drenched in a cold sweat, my heart beats faster than it ever has before, and well—I'm apt to do stupid things. At first, I thought it was a simple crush—but then I realized that I could never have _just_ a crush on _you_ , Hinamori." He gave a wan smile.

Disappointment flashed in her eyes as Momo turned away, mumbling a quiet, "Oh." She fiddled with the rind of her long-forgotten watermelon, before muttering, "If that's all . . . then what is that you call it?"

"I don't think you can _label_ feelings," Tōshirō admitted. "But Hinamori—the fact that I cannot rightly call you mine is definitely bothering me." He felt uncomfortable for being so bold, but Hyōrinmaru's words still echoed in his head. This _was_ him being himself—around Momo, at least.

Momo's cheeks reddened before she dropped the rind and turned towards him. "R—rightly call me yours?"

He nodded before taking a deep breath. "I will if you want me to, Hinamori." _Because_ I _definitely want to_.

Quietly, she whispered, not meeting his eyes, "I'd like that, Shirō-chan." Her voice was barely above a whisper, but it was filled with approval and excitement as she turned towards him.

Tōshirō inwardly grinned. It was now or never. Closing his eyes, he leaned forward, and just as his lips nearly united with Momo's, he heard the telltale _click!_ of a camera (brought from the World of the Living, no doubt).

Both parties jumped back in surprise, cheeks stained a permanent red. Momo's were because of her embarrassment that she'd _finally_ almost got to kiss Tōshirō, but the 10th division captain's cheeks were red for an entirely different reason. Leaping up from the couch, he flipped himself behind it.

Face a mask of fury, he screamed at his voluptuous lieutenant who sat behind the furniture, camera in hand, giggling, "RANGIKU MATSUMOTO, YOU ARE A _DEAD_ WOMAN!"

* * *

 **Hee-hee, no, I'm not brave enough to write a cute HitsuHina kiss scene, so you'll have to settle for this instead. Can you guys believe that this is my first story I've ever actually finished, and it's _not_ a oneshot (although it very well could be converted into one)? That's kinda pathetic. D**

 **Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed it, please feel free to give me constructive criticism and stuff through reviews! :)**


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